Sticky or what?! Nikki's second day at RedHeads Wine Studio

And I thought yesterday was a sticky day, but today's been a whole lot more so. The norm I think at a winery. It might look like a gentle past time, but when the cap of skins is 20 or so cm thick, it's tough going It starts with a bit of plunging of the cap ... well, actually, an hour and a half of it certainly warmed me up. A couple of vats were so impenetrable I had to resort to the feet again. And when it seems impossible, resort to your feet

Today we received the tiny-berried Shiraz grapes from the vineyard surrounding RedHeads. So the de-stemming machine was pulled out and we got to work pouring in the grapes at the top, raking out the reluctant ones and leveling out the berries at the bottom ... into a vat, all ready for fermentation.

Dan artfully tips the grapes into the top of the de-stemmer

Grapes come out one side and most of the stems from the other, just to keep the tannin levels in balance with the fruit

This was the stickiest part of the day!

Nice end to the evening with supper, a glass of Turkey Flat Mataro 2014 – delicious silky mulberry and chocolate fruit with a hint of leather. Thanks Mark.